A Living Tribute to GWP

I’ve watched my share of movies throughout my life and often I want to do something about what I have seen.  Today as I write there are two movies that I recall, not because the acting is outstanding or the effects are amazing, but because of what they did to me internally.  They caused me to contemplate and to be thankful.

The two movies are “Goodbye Mr. Chips” and “Stand and Deliver“.  Each of these movies is about a teacher who, through his own hard work and determination brought out a love and respect from his students.  Now, I have had a lot of good teachers in my past, but I have not always had the opportunity to express my thanks and gratitude to them all.

In fact, since the dawn of the internet I have been looking to see if I could find one teacher in particular whom I wish to express my thanks and gratitude.  You see, it takes a lot to be a teacher.  Learning the subject, enduring the students, piles of grading, enduring the students, hours of teaching while enduring the students and, of course, wondering if you are making a difference.

Well, let me set the stage for you.  While I was living in England I attended Tomlinscote Secondary School, which, for most of you living in the “land of the free and home of the brave” is the British equivalent of our High School.  Well, I must confess.  I wasn’t the best student in class, nor was I the most cooperative.  In fact, my friends were just like me, carefree, only interested in having fun, extremely disrespectful and careless with our mouths – so careless that we had been known to cause so much difficulty in our classes that we even had a couple of teachers walk out on us in tears.  I am not proud of that.  In fact, I am quite ashamed, but it is critical to understanding the context and culture into which this particular teacher served me and others.

Mr. Gary W. Palmer was our Drafting teacher as well as our Design and Technology teacher.  Now because of the drafting class I cannot write cursive and it is all his fault!!  In fact, I write everything in capitals and even have difficulty reading cursive.  Our Design and Technology class incorporated woodwork, metalwork and plastics along with our drafting and free-hand drawing skills so that using those skills we could consider a problem, conceptualize a solution, draw it out and then make it.  It really was a lot of fun, but as students we had our times with Mr. Palmer.  In fact, we would be quite rambunctious in his class and, although he was a very gentle and patient teacher there were times when he would have to yell, but it was so uncomfortable for him…and that is why we loved and appreciated him so much.

You see, Mr. Palmer, of all the teachers in the school, truly cared for us.  It isn’t that he used clever techniques to make us feel that way.  No, it was a genuine love and respect for the students under his care.  You could see it in his eyes.  You knew it when he talked to you personally.  It was simply part of his nature.

Mr. Palmer had a Datsun he called Duncan in which I took a number of trips:  Once on a Saturday, during his own personal time, he drove me and Bugsy, aka Julian Height, to the skateboard park.  It was an all day affair. (Yes, I was a big skater between the ages of 12-15).  He didn’t have to do it, but he wanted to; Many times I would be walking somewhere in town by my self, or with a friend, and Duncan the Datsun would pull off to the side of the road and beep his horn to see if a ride was needed.  I would hop in and Mr. Palmer would talk to me in a down to earth “I care about you way.”  He would also willingly stay after school to help us with our projects for school and also projects we simply wanted to undertake.  That extra time, the extra touches and the genuineness he expressed were all part of the shaping process used to grow me.

Mr. Palmer…if you are reading this, I know that it was a long time ago and that you probably don’t remember much, if anything, but the little things you did and the character you demonstrated to me have had lasting effects on my life and I am far better for it.  I am convinced that God used you in my life to model for me what it means to be gentle, caring and truly interested in people.  I want to thank you for the part you have played and for the kindness you have shown a scruffy, difficult but watching teenage boy.  I often think of you and every time I do I am thankful to God. Please know that it “is” worth it and you “are” making a difference!!  You were my Mr. Chipping…

So, my friends, there is a lesson to be learned here.  Don’t give up being who God created you to be.  Some of you are teachers and you identify with this post.  Others of you are accountants, police officers, pastors, nurses, waitresses and Starbucks employees, but be sure that the little things you do in life – acts of kindness, extra care, gentleness and concern – will have lasting effects.  Think about it, it has been over 30 years ago since I saw Mr. Palmer, but I hope that he is warmed by knowledge of his influence.  Sometimes we get to hear about the fruit of our labors, but most of the time we don’t.  That is why we behave the way we do before God and for His glory.  We do all things unto Him, but every once in a while he blesses us with an encouragement to keep pressing on.

There is a Gary W. Palmer in all of us.  Fan it with God’s flame and for His glory…

An Inspiration…

There are some videos that are worth watching, and this is one of them.  If you are a man…a father…or simply a human being get the kleenex out and time how long it takes for the first tear to hit your lap…go on, I dare you!!!

A Plea To Pray For Your Pastor

In my preparation for my final message in 1 Thessalonians I have been struck by what the Apostle Paul tells his Thessalonian friends in 5:25,

“Brethren, Pray for us.”

It is amazing that Paul was diligent to pray for them and did so at least three times (1:2, 3:10-12, 5:23) in this letter, but now he appeals to them to uphold him in prayer.  He was their founder, their mentor, their leader.  He was the mature on of the bunch and yet, he is calling on them to pray for him (and Timothy and Silvanus).

So, it got me thinking how much I need the prayers of my church family.  Of course I knew that to be true, but sometimes God has to hit you on the head to show you the reality of what is obvious…and so, my friend, I ask that you consider the words of the following two men and put them into practice:

Let the minister have a place in your heart. Mention his name at your family altar, and in your prayer closet. You expect him to come before you day after day, to teach you the things of the kingdom, and exhort and stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance. If he be a true minister, there will be work to be done in this matter. He cannot write his sermon and read it to you; he does not believe Christ said, “Go and read the gospel to every creature.”

Do you know the cares of a minister? Do you know the trouble he has with his own church-how the erring ones do grieve him, how even the righteous ones do vex his spirit by their infirmities-how there will always be some great trouble in the hearts of some of his people? And he is the reservoir of all: they come to him with all their grief; he is to “weep with them that weep.”

And in the pulpit what is his work? God is my witness, I scarcely ever prepare for my pulpit with pleasure: study for the pulpit is to me the most irksome work in the world. I have never come into this house that I know of with a smile upon mine heart; I may have sometimes gone out with one; but never have I had one when I entered. Preach, preach, twice a day I can and will do, but still there is a travailing in preparation for it, and even the utterance is not always accompanied with joy and gladness, and God knows that if it were not for the good that we trust is to be accomplished by the preaching of the Word, it is no happiness to a man’s life to be well known.

It robs him of all comfort to be from morning to night pressed for labor, to have no rest for the sole of his foot or for his brain-to bear every burden-to have people asking, as they do in the country, when they want to get into a cart, “Will the cart hold the weight?” -never thinking whether the horse can drag it; to have them asking, “Will you preach at such a place? you are preaching twice, couldn’t you manage to get to such a place, and preach again?” Every one else has a limit; the minister has none, until he kills himself and is condemned as imprudent. If you are determined to do your duty in that place to which God has called you, you need the prayers of your people, that you may be able to do the work, and you will need their abundant prayers that you may be sustained in it.

I bless God that I have a valiant corps of men, who day without night besiege God’s throne on my behalf. I would speak to you, my brethren and sisters, again, and beseech you, by our loving days that are past, by all the hard fighting that we have had side by side with each other, not to cease to pray now. The time was when in hours of trouble, you and I have bended our knees together in God’s house and we have prayed to God that he would give us a blessing. You remember how great and sore troubles did roll over our head-how men did ride over us. We went through fire and through water, and now let us not cease to pray. Let us still cry out unto the living God, that he may give us a blessing.

Oh! may God help me, if you cease to pray for me! Let me know the day when you cease your prayers, and I must cease to preach. Let me know when you intend to cease your prayers, and I shall cry, “O my God, give me this day my tomb, and let me slumber in the dust.”

~ Charles Haddon Spurgeon, 1870

And then from another…

Brethren, pray for us, that we may be kept from sin; that we may walk carefully, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time [Eph. 5:16]; that our hearts may be more devoted to God, and our lives a more impressive example of the Gospel we preach: that we may be more completely furnished for our work and our conflicts, and put on the whole armor of God [6:10-17]; that we may be more faithful and wise to win souls, and that we may discipline our body, and bring it into subjection, lest having preached to others, we ourselves be cast away [1 Cor. 9:27].

In “A Plea to Pray for Pastors” by Gardiner Spring

Add to that something that I pray for myself often…

“Lord, help me to be a faithful expositor of God’s Word that also smells like sheep.”

I am convinced of God’s calling on my life, but I am also convinced of God’s calling on yours to pray for your pastor in the ways mentioned.  Your ministry before God on my behalf is always appreciated as I am helpless to think and act without the Help of my Great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Ooooohhh… He’s Scary!!

This past Sunday, in communicating the idea that God is not the Author of evil, I contemplated the fact that when Charles Dickens wrote his stories, he included characters that were villains and were extremely evil, yet Dickens himself, although creator of these characters and their subsequent affairs, was not evil.  Well that just got me thinking…

Who are some of the worst Characters in Dickens’ stories?

Is it Fagin, the criminal who corrupts and uses young boys to “pick a pocket or two” from the middle and upper-class of society in Oliver Twist?

“…standing over them, with a toasting-fork in his hand, was a very old shrivelled Jew, whose villanous-looking and repulsive face was obscured by a quantity of matted red hair. He was dressed in a greasy flannel gown, with his throat bare…” Oliver Twist, Chapter 8

Well, he would certainly be in my top five.

Could it be the sinister yet insincere Uriah Heep who serves as a lawyer in the classic David Copperfield? He is described as being tall, lank and pale with lashless eyes and is prone to jerking and wriggling.  Of course, like so many villains, his motivation is greed, but at the end of the story his scheming and manipulation are uncovered and he is sent in chains on a boat bound for Australia.  So, yes, he is right up there in the top five when it come to bad and scary guys.

But honestly, at present I will have to say that the most evil of characters that I have come to know must be from Dickens fourth novel, The Old Curiosity Shop — Mr. Daniel Quilp.

Now, the story is a sad one, presenting the never-ending plague of gambling (the grandfather in the story and owner of the shop) and its’ peripheral damage done to the innocent, who, in this case is his granddaugter Nell Trent.  But into this tragic spiraling scenario Dickens skillfully introduces evil personified and Daniel Quilp, a high-interest loan shark loan shark begins to squeeze his grip on the grandfather with an eye on both the Old Curiosity Shop and Nell.  He just makes shivers go up and down my spine, and the PBS Masterpiece Theater version, although not totally accurate to the book, enlists the very effective services of Toby Jones to play Mr. Quilp in all his evil ugliness.

Amazingly, you can watch the whole story on the internet at the PBS – Masterpeice Theater web site.

As aweful as he is, Dickens gives the reader some gratification when Mr. Quilp is discovered for his vile manipulation and deception and while attempting to elude the police and an angry mob falls into the Thames River and drowns.  However, in this tale Dickens chooses to leave the ugliness and lingering effects of gambling uncomfortably before its readers.  I won’t tell you why.  You will just have to read the book or watch the movie.

I truly enjoy the Masterpiece Theater genre as the stories usually have a moral substance to them and the characters are clearly defined.  Rarely are you left wondering, for example, if Batman is a good guy or a dark character.

So, if you have not seen “The Old Curiosity Shop” let me encourage you to watch it…but be ready to have shivers go up and down your spine.  Every movement of Quilp only intensifies his character…be very, very careful!!!

Radical Women!

Tucked away in a rather obscure and often passed over portion of Scripture is a great story about some really radical women known as the Daughters of Zelophehad.  I use the word radical because their actions affected the nation of Israel dramatically.  They were, in the right sense of the words some of the first women’s rights activists that we know of in our Judeo-Christian background.  So, I invite you to follow along in the book of Joshua in chapter 17 where the writer tells us the following:

1Now this was the lot for the tribe of Manasseh, for he was the firstborn of Joseph. To Machir the firstborn of Manasseh, the father of Gilead, were allotted Gilead and Bashan, because he was a man of war.  2So the lot was made for the rest of the sons of Manasseh according to their families: for the sons of Abiezer and for the sons of Helek and for the sons of Asriel and for the sons of Shechem and for the sons of Hepher and for the sons of Shemida; these were the male descendants of Manasseh the son of Joseph according to their families.

3However, Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons, only daughters; and these are the names of his daughters: Mahlah and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah.  4They came near before Eleazar the priest and before Joshua the son of Nun and before the leaders, saying, “The LORD commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brothers.” So according to the command of the LORD he gave them an inheritance among their father’s brothers.  5Thus there fell ten portions to Manasseh, besides the land of Gilead and Bashan, which is beyond the Jordan,  6because the daughters of Manasseh received an inheritance among his sons. And the land of Gilead belonged to the rest of the sons of Manasseh.

That’s it?  That’s what you set us up for?  One sentence of “The LORD commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brothers.”  What is so radical about that?  Well, I’m glad you asked, but to tell the story most effectively we must first look at the immediate context.

Now remember, the historical books are not usually just simply a “record” of the events that took place with certain characters, i.e. Joseph, David, Samson, Joshua, etc.  No, the writer is telling the story, but he is also telling the story with a purpose and choosing the order of events and arrangements of the information to help us along and lead us down a path of understanding.

So, broadly, the book of Joshua is about “entering the land”, “conquering the people in the land” and “settling in the land” of promise.  It is a great unfolding of God’s faithfulness to keep his promise to both give Israel the land and to wipe out the inhabitants (       ).  Along the way, and under Joshua’s leadership, the Israelites entered the land and stood up to the numerous and overwhelmingly strong chariots and horses of the inhabitants.  For the most part the Israelites were faithful to believe God and faced these mighty armies only to overwhelm them, but not with the strength of human numbers, but the strength of God.

Now, in chapters 17 the conquest is over and the tribes are being given their allotted portions of land.  Each tribe is identified, a sentence or two describes their land allocation followed by a few comments…and as you read these comments you begin to realize that all is not well in the Israelite camp.  The strong and mighty Israelite army that acted so faithfully is now being disbursed and now we find out that there is failure, much failure taking place…

Failure #1

Notice the following verses…with my emphasis underlined…

⁶³Now as for the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the sons of Judah could not drive them out; so the Jebusites live with the sons of Judah at Jerusalem until this day. Joshua 15:63 ( NASB )

¹⁰But they did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, so the Canaanites live in the midst of Ephraim to this day, and they became forced laborers. Joshua 16:10 ( NASB )

¹²But the sons of Manasseh could not take possession of these cities, because the Canaanites persisted in living in that land.  Joshua 17:12 ( NASB )

So, rather than finish the job that God had given them they began to give up and rationalize their actions by saying to themselves, “Hey, why kill them when we can use them as slaves?”  Now, where would they get a thought like that?   And, although God had told them specifically…

³³“They shall not live in your land, because they will make you sin against Me; for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.” Exodus 23:33 ( NASB )

…they still failed miserably.  What is sad is that we don’t have to wait until Judges to see the failure begin and take root.

The main problem was that they  began to lose their vision. They had the power to expel them from the land according to God’s Command (Word) but they chose to retain them for their own advantage…

Failure #2

That was the first arena of failure, but there is also another story of failure a little later in the 17^th chapter of Joshua…(Joshua 17:14-18)

It is time for Ephraim and Manasseh to claim their allotments, but instead we find them frustrated with God’s Gift and complaining.  Listen to their whining…

¹⁴Then the sons of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, “Why have you given me only one lot and one portion for an inheritance, since I am a numerous people whom the LORD has thus far blessed?”

In other words they were saying, “We are too big a people to only settle in one allotment”…Wah…Wah…Wah…

I love Joshua’s reply…

¹⁵Joshua said to them, “If you are a numerous people, go up to the forest and clear a place for yourself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the Rephaim, since the hill country of Ephraim is too narrow for you.”

But notice their response…

¹⁶The sons of Joseph said, “The hill country is not enough for us, and all the Canaanites who live in the valley land have chariots of iron, both those who are in Beth-shean and its towns and those who are in the valley of Jezreel.” ¹⁷Joshua spoke to the house of Joseph, to Ephraim and Manasseh, saying, “You are a numerous people and have great power; you shall not have one lot only, ¹⁸but the hill country shall be yours. For though it is a forest, you shall clear it, and to its farthest borders it shall be yours; for you shall drive out the Canaanites, even though they have chariots of iron and though they are strong.”

In simple terms, these two tribes are complaining that God hasn’t given them enough room.  But we must note here that God is sovereign in casting lots.  So their real complaint wasn’t  with Joshua, it is with God – “God you didn’t do this right, we need more land.”

But when  you think about it and look at all Israel, every tribe has increased; so all the tribes, no matter their size, would have to settle in their allotments.  What Ephraim and Manasseh were claiming was nothing more than a smokescreen, and vs. 15 lets us know what is really going on:

¹⁵Joshua said to them, “If you are a numerous people, go up to the forest and clear a place for yourself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the Rephaim, since the hill country of Ephraim is too narrow for you.”

Here is the issue – although God had commanded the completion of the conquest these two tribes didn’t want to do the work and didn’t want to do the fighting necessary to be faithful to God’s command.  They just wanted to be given the land.

It was another failure, so soon after great and heroic acts of faith…

Faith

But, into the context of failure come five faithful ladies, all sisters who have no brothers.  They are a breath of fresh air in the midst of all the failure and jump out of the passage to slap us in the face and draw our attention to God, His goodness, faithfulness and care.  They are five women who are very bold indeed.

Now, the statement by these ladies, “The LORD commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brothers” is really the “punch line” of their story, and their story begins in the book of Numbers, approximately 20 years prior, before the conquest of Canaan and while Moses was the leader of Israel.  Her is what we find in Numbers 27:1-11

¹Then the daughters of Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of Manasseh the son of Joseph, came near; and these are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah and Hoglah and Milcah and Tirzah.  ²They stood before Moses and before Eleazar the priest and before the leaders and all the congregation, at the doorway of the tent of meeting, saying,  ³“Our father died in the wilderness, yet he was not among the company of those who gathered themselves together against the LORD in the company of Korah; but he died in his own sin, and he had no sons.  ⁴“Why should the name of our father be withdrawn from among his family because he had no son? Give us a possession among our father’s brothers.”

Wow, now that is really bold!  In the context of male leadership and responsibility they find themselves in a place where they have no caregiver or protector over them and are facing losing the rights of their family to any property in the allotments, simply because there is no patriarch to carry on the family name.  It is a real problem, and one that would have rippling effects on their tribe.  So, what we read next is so amazing…

⁵And Moses brought their case before the LORD.   ⁶Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,  ⁷“The daughters of Zelophehad are right in their statements. You shall surely give them a hereditary possession among their father’s brothers, and you shall transfer the inheritance of their father to them.  ⁸“Further, you shall speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘If a man dies and has no son, then you shall transfer his inheritance to his daughter.  ⁹‘If he has no daughter, then you shall give his inheritance to his brothers.  ¹⁰‘If he has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his father’s brothers.  ¹¹‘If his father has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his nearest relative in his own family, and he shall possess it; and it shall be a statutory ordinance to the sons of Israel, just as the LORD commanded Moses.’”

Isn’t that amazing?  In response to the faithful initiative of these sisters God told Moses to change the law concerning property and inheritance in the nation.  Their faith literally shaped future generations protecting them from the same predicament they found themselves in.

But that was 20 years earlier that God promised them the inheritance.  Now, in Joshua 17, after waiting in faith through the conquest these sisters stand before Eleazar, Joshua and the leaders of the nation to remind them of God’s promise.  The appeal they make is to the Word of God spoken through Moses, which is recorded in the book of Numbers, which Joshua has in his possession.  So, Joshua responds in faith and validates the judgment of Moses as true and then he assures these daughters that the land will stay in their family.

In essence, these women are reminding the male leadership of the nation of Israel that God is committed to inheritance rights for women!!!

It is an amazing story that teaches us some great lessons through these precious sisters.  And I want to highlight six characteristics that I appreciate about these radical women:

1. First, the Daughters of Zelophehad were women of Respect - Everything that they do shows us that they trusted God and trusted His sovereign order regarding the care and protection of the nation being laid on the shoulders of the men.  Their issue wasn’t that they were being mistreated, but that the cultural order of the day put them, their families and their tribe in peril.
2. Second, and closely linked to the first, the Daughters of Zelophehad were Submissive - Every step of the way we see them not only respecting the male leadership but being submissive to their guidance, counsel and decisions.  We don’t see them manipulating or overstepping authority in any way.  They came to Eleazar, Joshua (Moses) and the leaders of Israel and entrusted them with their predicament.
3. Third, the Daughters of Zelophehad were Bold - it must have been intimidating to go before Moses and the leaders of Israel and appeal to them, but they did.  And twenty years later, they did it again.
4. Fourth, the Daughters of Zelophehad were women of Faith - They believed what God had promised.  Can you imagine the conversations that took place in those households as the sisters talked and talked about God’s promise to them.  I wonder if the twenty year time frame brought some discouragement to God’s promise;  or maybe the transition of leadership from Moses to Joshua.  Would Joshua uphold what Moses established on that day?  But they came, nonetheless, exercising faith in God’s promise to them.
5. Fifth, the Daughters of Zelophehad were women of the Word - How could they be respectful, submissive, bold or exercise faith?  What fed all these qualities in these women?  I submit to you that it was that they had a love for God and for His Word.  If their God, the One True God gave them a promise then they would believe it.  They stood on the security and sufficiency of God’s truth.

Wow! What a group of ladies.  What an example!  And I am convinced that in our churches (in my church, CVFirst) we have many whom I can consider as the Daughters of Zelophehad.  They are women who love the Lord, who want and need the care and support of the men and leadership of the church.  They pray for their Pastors and Elders and want to serve the Lord boldly by faith and in the joy of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Let me give you a few examples of what I am talking about (knowing that I risk hurting people by omission, so I am asking for grace and forgiveness if I don’t give you the attention I give others):

• Leanne Fosdahl – She is an amazing example of one woman willing to listen to the burden of the Lord on her heart, walk through open doors and see God grow an opportunity into a ministry.  She now enters one of our local prisons and holds a Bible study for a group of female inmates who are being saved, evangelizing their families and growing in their walk with the Lord.
• Cherylann Sammons – Her heart is so big for the plight of women (poverty, abuse, neglect, etc) of the world, in particular in India and Indonesia.  She has spent many hours on planes, in meetings holding services and ministering the Gospel and the strength of the Lord throughout those regions.
• Pauline Butler – I mention Pauline not because she has a dynamic ministry like the ladies already listed, but because she is a “paraklete”.  She is an encourager, comforter and one who is willing to come along side other women in their struggles.  Many women are like Pauline, happy to use their gifts, but behind the scenes, yet no less important.
• Gini Monroe – She is a stately woman of God, whom I love and have served alongside with joy on a number of occasions: teaching seminars, mission trip, etc.  Gini is an evangelist who is bold with God’s Gospel and fearless to speak the truth in love.  She is a gifted teacher, counselor and mentor.
• Carolyn Nystrum – Carolyn seems to always be one step ahead when it comes to the care of others in the church.  She always knows who is sick, in the hospital, hurting or simply needing some encouragement.  She is a “stealth minister” who is working hard behind the scenes.
• Liz Fosdahl – Liz has been teaching a Women’s Bible Study in our church called “Women of the Word” for 19 years.  She is a gifted teacher and her persistence and consistency has helped to fashion and shape many women in our flock and many others too.
• Selina Castaneda – When it comes to music Selina is a workaholic.  She plays in the band, sings solo’s and duets, leads worship for the ladies retreats, VBS and during our second hour Sunday School Class.  She is always full of joy and loves both the Lord and His precious Word.
• Imogene Lyrla -She, along with a crew of women have fitted the hospitals and and Senior rest homes with throw quilts that they make week after week.  It may seem a small thing to many, but it is an act of love dispersed in our community that says to those recipients, “You are important and we at CVFirst want you to know that.”

And I could go on for we have so many ladies who are faithfully serving the Lord.

• But, there is one Daughter of Zelophehad, however, that must get the spotlight for she is my very own wife, Elia Phillips – She not only serves as the director of the choir at CVFirst, she is also married to me.  She is a solid pillar of faithfulness to the Lord, hunger for God’s truth and getting behind her man, who happens to be the Sr. Pastor.

These are all my Mothers and Sisters (and a wife) who are the Daughters of Zelophehad in our church – may their tribe increase and abound!

They are the Daughters of Zelophehad – they are the “DZ”

Be Ye Glad

Every once in a while I pull an ancient cd from my shelf from my years around college and listen to the kind of music that God used to get me through the evenings and late nights…  I know!  I know!  You are probably surprised to hear me say ancient CD’s aren’t you, and not “I pulled out my old 8-Tracks” to listen to…  Well, back in my dinosaur years the CD was just coming in and was cutting edge — truth be known, however, It was really the Cassette that was in vogue and it was only later that I purchased CD’s as my Cassettes were all worn out, plus I ruined and hated the ritual of finding an No. 2 pencil to wind the Cassette up when it got all funky in the player…but I digress…

Well, truth be told, there is one group that fed my soul and was acceptable music for my time in College and Seminary…and it is the group by the name of “Glad”.  Now, for their time they were not only the rage, but a bridge from a more traditional style of music to a more contemporary expression, and, although they were primarily an Acapella group – which means that they sang without instruments, just voices — (as Rush Limbaugh would say, for those of you in Rio Linda), they were also an excellent band.

So, for your viewing pleasure here are a couple of their songs, but I must admit, they sound much better than they look — and please, not comments on the Mullett’s…

But, in all that they did, there is one video that I want to draw your attention to.  It is masterful and prophetic in nature and causes you to think, “If Glad were still in their prime, what would they do now?”  That question will be made evident if you take the time to listen to the video…and please do, you won’t be disappointed!!

Now that was fun wasn’t it?

So, here is one song that they are remembered for the most…cheesy outfits, but the song is great…

Three Amigo’s

It is not often that you come across three friends who love the Lord and whose example is exceptional and also compelling.  So, today I want to introduce to you three young ladies that have taught me much about ministry, not so much in word, but in deed.  They are all an encouragement to me and I am blessed to know them as friends.  Let me introduce to you, Marina, Indira and Emily.

Marina has been a christian for just over three years.   I met here just after that conversion on my first trip to Ufa.  Soon she was growing in the Lord and serving Him where she could.  Now, three years later she spends most of her days ministering to the street children in the city of Ufa and is a great help and support in the newly established Church of Grace in one  of Ufa’s centers.  Some nights she makes food and seeks out the street kids to provide them with a meal.  On other nights the kids show up at her church for a program and some food, and although not her main ministry, Marina helps with translation, and did so on many occasions while our team visited over the past two weeks.  She is committed to the Lord and to serving these struggling and volatile kids.

Indira is a student at St. Petersburg State University in St. Petersburg, Russia.  She came home for a two week break from school and with the encouragement of her sister Emily (see below) came and served our ministry team as well as serve with us.  She is humble, gentle and a willing servant of the Lord.  I can’t wait to see what God has in store for her.

Emily is Indira’s older sister.  She has been serving as the Northern California Antioch Initiative Translator for over three years and is exceptional in that role.  She is, however, far more than just a translator.  She is a coordinator, a tour guide, an office worker, a middleman, etc. etc.  She pours herself into the ministry of the Lord and serves teams like ours with great passion and vigor.  She loves what she does and loves the people with whom she works.  She loves the church and ultimately loves the Lord.  Oh, yes, I can’t forget to mention that she actively teaches English as a means to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

All three of these ladies are faithful servants and have encouraged me once again.  Girls, thank you for how you challenge me by your example, service and love for the Lord and the Body of Christ.

Banya…Russian Style

Well, I have only been to a Russian Banya a couple of times before and each time I have enjoyed it a lot.  Well, today I had the privilege of doing it again with my team mates, Chris, Kenny and Stephen.  It was a first time experience for Chris and Stephen, but both were troopers and threw themselves at it.

Now, if you don’t know what a Russian Banya is, let me explain it.  First, the banya is similar to a sauna, but it usually has three rooms.  So, the first thing you do is undress, then we enter the middle room and then the inner sanctum where the heat is burning hot to sweat and then eventually to be beaten with birch branches by a man standing naked wearing only a banya beenie, kind of like a Robin Hood hat but without the feather.  So, that is the idea…

Well, this evening we all entered the inner sanctum, some sitting high in the room on the special bench made for beating and others spread around the small room.  In one corner is a fire pot belly stove of sorts with rocks and stones sitting on top.  In the other corner is a plastic 50 gallon tub full of cold water.  Soon water is added to the burning and hot rocks and hot steam is created in the room.  We all sit, talk and tell stories for a while and every few minutea add more water to the coals.  It is kind of like being the frog in the kettle.  Then when things are really hot, we endure, and endure and then we take a break and move into the other room, have some cold drinks and relax.  After that we go back into the inner sanctum and add more water to that coals.  That is followed by more fellowship, sweating, talking and waiting until the next break which comes is after another time of steam and endurance.  A quick trip to the cool down room and a round of cold drink and now it is time for a beating.  Stephen goes first as he is the rookie and this is his first time experience.  But the room seems so much hotter than it did.  Stephen lays down on the top tier and Albert grabs the birch branches in one hand and puts on his protective beenie for his head with the other hand.  He wears it to protect his head from the hot steam that will be high in the room.  Then he soaks the birch branches one more time in the water and holds them over the steaming coals for about 10 seconds, just enough time for the water to start to sizzle.  Then the beating begins…first the back, then the ___________, then the legs and finally the feet, back up the body and to the back again.  Then the branches are used to rub down the body, they now feel cool and the sensation is wonderful.  Another dip in the cool water for the branches, a few more blows and any sin you have committed has been cast out.  Stephen gingerly steps down with a big smile of satisfaction, relief, wonder and pride (he’s in the club now) and the next person is up…that was me.  And so it went…

When we had all been beaten almost everyone rean out and rolled in the snow…I know, its not the most pleasant picture, but all the ladies were at the Women’s Conference, so it was a safe environment.  Then back into the inner sanctum to sizzle once more.

Oh, did I mention that they have flavors for the steam:  Barbecue – Hickory – Honey glazed, and the one that we used – eucolyptus…  And you think that I am joking!!!

Then we sat and talked for another 45 minutes to an hour and talked about ministry in Russia.  Why not, there isn’t much else to do in the banya than talk.

At the end of the evening, we each dipped a two gallon bucket into the large container in the corner of the room.  It had cool water…. and we poured it over our bodies to cool down…it was a shock at first, but it felt really good.

We then dressed, went into the house where we all had chicken noodle soup, sausage, fruit and more tea.

Honestly…you should do it if you ever have the chance.

Homecoming 2009

Last weekend as I was packing for my trip to Russia (where I am right now) both my son, Gavin – Freshman, and daughter, Vanessa – Senior, participated in Redwood Christian School’s Homecoming Banquet.  To our surprise Vanessa was nominated by her peers to be a homecoming princess.

Of course, we are extremely proud of how God has been at work in her life and the great honor that her fellow students granted her.

Funny thing, though, Ezra, Vanessa’s “friend” was also nominated as a prince.  So, here are some pictures of my kids all dressed up with somewhere to go…Even Adam got into the action…

Wow!  They do grow up fast!

Struck Silly…

I am in Russia right now, leading a team from our church to do ministry in the town of Ufa, Bashkortostan.  Yesterday, however, we all had the opportunity to visit the Russian WWII Memorial in Moscow.  It was a somber experience seeing pictures and video footage of the plight of Russians fighting for their freedom against Hitler and his armies.  In the Museum were lots of artifacts from that long conflict, but there were some pieces of Art that struck my deeply…

Here is one.  I don’t know what it is called, but I had to have a picture of it as it spoke so many things…

Doesn’t this picture make you thankful?